A new molecular assay for the proliferation signature in mantle cell lymphoma applicable to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsies

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B-cell neoplasm displaying heterogeneous outcomes after treatment. In 2003, the Lymphoma/Leukemia Molecular Profiling Project described a powerful biomarker, the "proliferation signature", using gene expression in fresh frozen material. Here we describe the training and validation of a new assay that measures the proliferation signature in RNA derived from routinely available formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies. MCL specimens from 123 patients were investigated with Affymetrix HG U133 plus 2.0 gene expression arrays.